Eun Sul-Hwa
Eun Sul-Hwa (은설화 Eunseolhwa) is the only publicly known survivor of the former Three Noble Families of the Bairong Empire, the Silver Clan. She was the maid and attempted murderer of Yue Bairong. Appearance Sul-Hwa is a busty woman with a slim build and brown hair that would go to her waist but is usually tied up. Like any maid that works for the Emperor, she wears a robe that covers everything from the shoulders to the feet, although revealing some cleavage. After working for two years, her outfit was personally customized due to Yue's order. The most notable change is her completely covered chest. She also wears a necklace that was given personally by Emperor Yue. Personality Around maids and other servants of the palace, Eun Sul-Hwa posesses a cheerful and friendly demeanor. Towards the Emperor, she fosters a great hatred against him, but remains courteous and respectful towards him. Later in the story, it is revealed that she harbors some feelings for Yue and the same for him as well. Story History The Emperor's Downfall Nothing is known about Sul-Hwa, save for the fact that she was a member of the Silver Clan, later becoming a maid in the palace and Yue's assistant. After a year of serving him, she attempts to assassinate him, but to no avail. Yue then explains that he was well aware of her intentions, noting that she radiated a great amount of killing intent. She explains that she believed that Yue ordered her clan to be executed, however, Yue denies this fact, much to Sul-Hwa's outrage. In the process he strikes a bargain with her: if she continues to remain as his maid, he will look into who ordered the assassination of her clan. This bargain lasts two years with Eun-Sul-Hwa attempting to assassinate Yue close to every day. Sul-Hwa's opinion of Yue begins to change as she stays with him longer. Thinking over what has happened in the last two years, Sul-Hwa finds it difficult to grasp that no progress has been made on her initial goal to assassinate Emperor Yue. As she is stopped by a fellow palace maid by the name of May, Sul-Hwa comments that she's been busy helping his majesty with his work. A short discussion is held between the two about Sul-Hwa's change of dress; her clothing is more conservative as well as her adorning a new necklace. The necklace, as stated by Sul-Hwa, was a gift from the Emperor. May jokes that the two of them have some sort of romance but Sul-Hwa is quick to dismiss this. The two part ways and Sul-Hwa carries on with her day. Upon arriving at Yue's work room, she makes another attempt to assassinate him while he sleeps but fails, as her arm is caught by Yue. After a brief talk, the two go to eat breakfast where Yue states that he enjoys her company, as most people politely refuse his offer to dine with him due to his emperor status. On top of that, Yue also says that he feels comfortable around Sul-Hwa despite her various attempts to assassinate him. Sul-Hwa in turn responds by saying she has no problem with being his maid so long as she can have her revenge much to his dissapointment. Later on in the day, Sul-Hwa is helping assist Yue with his paperwork. As the night drags on she begins thinking over the past two years she's spent under the emperor's command. Her original motive of killing him has long since been discarded, noting that Yue is a kind, hard-working man who loves his country more than anything else, which is why she can't bring herself to do the job. Unfortunately, come the next day, Sul-Hwa is murdered, presumably sometime during the night. It is later revealed that Sul-Hwa's death was carried out by the Night Crows under the previous Emperor's orders. Sul-Hwa was part of a conspiracy to murder Yue, but because of her failure and change in feelings, she was killed. She was later buried in Bairong's Great Hall, a place only royalty could be buried, under Yue's instruction. Powers and Abilities Chi Techniques: Being from the Silver Clan, she would've been trained in the martial art skills of Bairong. Although her skills aren't a match for Yue's, she is confident with what she knows. *'Shinbo' (신보 Sinbo; Release): The first stage of Chi control. It draws out a small amount of the user's Chi, and universally taught through the Bairong Empire. *'Shinchuk' (신축 Sinchug; Elasticity): The second stage of Chi control. It draws out a maximum of 30% of the user's Chi, and is taught only to the highly skilled elites of the Bairong Empire. Equipment Broad Sword: Sul-Hwa used this in her first assassination attempt against Yue. Knife: Sul-Hwa hides one under her sleeves and used this when she tries to appear unarmed, such as when Yue revealed he knew of her bloodlust. Smoke Bomb: When cornered by Yue, she uses this to escape. Relationships Yue Bairong Originally Sul-Hwa despised Yue because she believed him to have murdered her entire family, and had a strong enough killing intent that he could sense it. After he decides he'll find the real culprit, he tells her she's his type and keeps her as his assistant for the next two years. During that period, they spend a lot of time together and Sul-Hwa sees for herself that Yue is a good person and good emperor. Her hatred for him subsides, and her bloodlust disappears completely, she even develops feelings for Yue, which he also has for her. Trivia *Her name Sul-Hwa (설화) means snowflake. *Originally she wasn't supposed to exist, because she was created at the author's editor's behest in order to give the real Xing more pain. To that end the story would have been more poignant.Cho, Jung-man (2012). Witch Hunter Manhwa: Volume 12: Postface. ISBN 978-89-252-7924-4 References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Female Category:Bairong Category:Deceased Category:Adversaries Category:Previous Adversaries